Raiders seek leadership, sacks from Lamarr Houston

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)

After spending his first three seasons as the young guy on a
veteran line dominated by Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly, Houston
is being counted on to lead Oakland's front.

He has moved from left defensive end to the right side, where he
is being counted on as the primary pass rusher on a defense that
has no proven player when it comes to getting to the
quarterback.

He has also stepped into the leadership void on a defense that
will have nine new starters from last season.

''Fortunately I was here with Seymour and Tommy and they taught
me a lot,'' Houston said. ''I've been learning and I'm still
learning. But being one of the older guys on the line, I just feel
it's my job to help the other guys to come along and get toward the
vision we want as a team.''

The Raiders overhauled their defense after it struggled a year
ago in the first season under defensive-minded head coach Dennis
Allen and coordinator Jason Tarver. Seymour, Kelly, Rolando McClain
and Michael Huff were all cut. Philip Wheeler, Matt Shaughnessy and
Desmond Bryant were among those who left in free agency.

In total, the players who won't be on the active roster for
Sunday's opener against the Indianapolis Colts accounted for 79
percent of the defensive snaps a year ago.

''He's running that show there up front,'' Tarver said. ''We're
excited about what he's doing. He's the one that's running that
group and he does a good job with it.''

As much as the Raiders need leadership, they really need a pass
rush from Houston. The entire defensive roster accounted for just
16 sacks in the NFL last year and lacks a proven pass rusher.

Houston rushed the passer from the left side more than 90
percent of the time last season, according to game-tracking by the
Website Pro Football Focus.

''He's demonstrated that he's got the best ability as a
rusher,'' Allen said. ''He's a little bit more of a power rusher
than he is a speed rusher. But I really think he's a guy that can
help getting some pressure on the quarterback.''

He was rated the 15th best 4-3 defensive end at pressuring the
passer with four sacks, 14 quarterback hits and 35 quarterback
hurries. His production picked up as the season went along with 25
of his 53 pressures and three of his sacks coming in the final five
games.

He will be counted on to be the team's primary pass rusher to
disrupt the opposing quarterback from the blind side.

''Everybody takes pride in getting the quarterback down,'' he
said. ''That's one of Al Davis' most famous quotes. Take the
quarterback down in the first couple of plays and take him down
hard. As a D-lineman I pride myself on trying to get to the
quarterback.''

Houston has been at his best early in his career as an
edge-setting defensive end in the run game. He has just 10 career
sacks and is more of a power rusher than a typical speed guy who
beats tackles around the edge to get to the quarterback.

After cutting veteran pass rusher Andre Carter to get down to
the 53-man roster limit, the current Raiders defense has no proven
pass rusher.

The Raiders need an upgrade from the pass rush after having a
franchise-low 25 sacks a year ago if this defense is going to be
able to slow down opposing offenses.

''I want to be a complete player,'' Houston said. ''Some of the
best guys who ever played on the D-line did a pretty good job of
both stopping the run and sacking the quarterback. Guys like Deacon
Jones, Reggie White, John Randle. I think it's important to be the
total player.''

NOTES: LT Menelik Watson missed practice a day after tweaking
his knee. If he can't play Sunday, the Raiders would only have two
healthy tackles with Khalif Barnes forced to move to the left side
and newly signed Tony Pashos stepping in on the right. Oakland
could activate Matt McCants off the practice squad to get a backup
tackle on the roster Sunday. ... K Sebastian Janikowski returned to
practice on a limited basis after being sidelined by a sore right
calf. ... LB Sio Moore was limited with a foot injury.

Related Stories

Member Comments

Please note by clicking on "Post comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Use and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Be Polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator.